Get your feet wet with some quilting techniques while making this banner to welcome the leprechauns with the pots o’ gold this St. Patrick’s Day!

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Pi Day is March 14, and Urban Threads has released a mathematically marvelous FREE embroidery design to celebrate! “Pi Equals Delicious” will be yummy on creations for math teachers and number-crunching mad scientists of all stripes to celebrate this most circular of holidays.

It’s available for download in two sizes in formats for machine embroidery, hand embroidery, and digital stock art, FREE through Sunday March 14. Emjoy!

Now that you’re inspired to make a quilt, how do you care for it? You’ve invested a lot of time making this one-of-kind piece, so take these 8 tips to heart when it comes to care.

1. Keep it dry — store it in a cool, dry place so mold and mildew won’t grow on your hard work
2. Store it in a cotton sheet or pillow case — this will allow the fabric to breathe and keep moisture from building up
3. Avoid temperature extremes — temp changes can cause stress and the fibers could deteriorate
4. No bugs and mice — in other words, don’t store it in a cardboard box, attic, cellar, garage, shed, etc.
5. Keep it in the dark — sunlight can cause discoloration and deterioration
6. Keep it unfolded — you don’t want creases to form after all your hard work, so roll it around a wrapping paper tube or unfold it often being sure to refold it a different way
7. Use acid-free paper — it’s a good idea to put acid-free paper between the folded layers of your quilt. And, acid-free is important to prevent your fabric from becoming stained or corroded
8. Keep it away from wood — unfished wood often contains acid that can ruin your quilt. If you must store it in drawers, then line it with acid-free paper

To sandwich your quilt layers together you’re going to need quite a bit of space. Typically, I like to spread this out over the dinning room table or on the master bed.

To start, on the wrong side of your backing, mark the center at the top, bottom, and side edges. Place the backing right side down and smooth away the wrinkles — use masking tape to hold it taut and in place.

Carefully unfold the batting and place it over the backing, be sure to keep it wrinkle free.

Lastly, position the top over the batting, keeping the sandwhich wrinkle free. Match the centers of your quilt top with the backing. Now, pin your layers together to prevent them from shifting.

Now you’re ready to take your sandwhich to your Baby Lock machine for quilting!

When free motion quilt I prefer to wear quilting gloves. I wish they were magic gloves that made my free motion perfect, but they’re not. They are, however, great grippers and they keep my hands from drying out.

Generally with free motion quilting you want to hold the area that you’re quilting as if your hands were the hoop. When you have finished that “hooped” section, stop and reposition your hands. Remember, practice practice, practice! And, don’t forget to pick you up a pair of gloves.

You’ve put hours of hard work into the quilt top and it looks gorgeous, but what about the backing fabric. Don’t cheapen your quilt by using any old thing from your stash or what was on sale at the fabric store. It’s important to use the same quality backing fabric as you did for the top.

Some other quilt backing tips:
- Cut the backing at least 4″ wider than the top on all sides
- When seaming your backing fabric, use vertical or horizontal seams, whichever requires less fabric
- Be sure to press your backing seams open

That is the question. Should you starch your quilting fabric?

First, it’s important to prewash your fabric, so you don’t have any shrinking, fading, etc after you have it all put together. Prewashing removes the finish that is part of the manufacturing process. Starching your fabrics after washing makes them more stable. If you decided to starch, keep in the mind the following tips.

1. Don’t mix starched and non-starched in the same project
2. Press your fabric — don’t iron!
3. Allow the starch to dry before pressing to reduce flaking
4. Be careful not to scorch your fabric
5. Starch right before use — don’t starch and store (it can create deep creases and attract silverfish)
6. Don’t starch your backing fabric — it will make it harder to move the layered quilt through the machine.
7. Wash the starch out when finished to soften your quilt and keep bugs away!

Got kids?  Calling all children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews!
This Bath Time Hoodie is quick and easy to sew up for those special children in your life. Make bath time really special.

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I’m all about short cuts and there is one author and found some great ones when it comes to creating quilt tops — Eleanor Burns.

For over 30 years she has been inspiring quilters and making the impossible, possible. Her books are easy to follow and full of pictures. She even has accompanying notions to make the work even easier!

My personal favorite is the Quilt Trip Quilts book. I never thought I would be able to make such a beautiful quilt in no time at all.

Check her out.

Some say quilt kits are cheating. And, while they have a point, I like to think that it is simply encouraging me to finish my quilt in a reasonable amount of time. When the fabric is already measured and together, I can start cutting right away.

What can I say, maybe I’m taking a short cut and limiting my creativity, but with each quilt I make I learn something new and accomplish something most won’t try.

Here’s to you quilt kits, for keeping it fun!